Interactive touch capable mirror

[Alpay Kasal] of Lit Studios and [Sam Ewen] created this patent-pending interactive mirror after being inspired by dielectric glass mirrors with built-in LCD panels, and wanting to add a human touch. The end results look like a lot of fun. You can draw on the mirror and play games. According to [Kasal], mouse emulation is essential. The installation features proximity sensors and gesturing. Any game can be set up on it, which makes the possibilities endless… except these are the same people that built LaserGames so expect no further documentation about how it works.

It is neat to see display and interface going funny places. If only there was recognition and photo editing so that you could use this to try on different makeup digitally, or paint “loser” on peoples faces, then make it appear to wash off, then reappear :), technology is only as good as the practical jokes it can make.

considering this is hack a day I would hope that one of us will eventually get our hands on this and ultimately take it apart so that the rest of us can build it ourselves. According to engadget it uses a two way mirror and a projector.

That’s a good point, I am sure there is nothing that this could possibly be used for other than fitting rooms. Remind me to contact you for exhaustive research in product marketing the next time I have a good idea.

wtf, they build a mirror with integrated display — and only show the stupid demos we saw on every multitouch-project?! who would sort photos on their mirror…
this is really missing an augmented reality application, it would be the perfect interface: video goggles just failed (yes, I’m really sad about that, too, but face it, 1995 they were all up about them and all affordable displays just do 320×240?!); and a usual screen+webcam usually is too indirect etc, nobody would use this.
but a mirror, with integrated camera & screen, that’s perfect, and you can use old-style touch-interfaces nothing fancy required like gestures that don’t work anyway…
so: *if* this is even worthy of being patented (touchscreens behind glass exist, screens integrated in mirrors exist, theres nothing new here, as said before), these people will make lots of money, apply for a job there now :D (or become a shareholder)

it’s a fun demo, for sure, but i’m with the other folks that are shrugging. for one, patenting this kind of puzzle-piece technology – where the hardware is likely all off-the-shelf and tied together by some software components – isn’t that impressive (nor something i’d like to encourage).

i don’t see anything about it that’s actually multi-touch, either. one finger is only ever on the glass – guess THAT stuff was already patented, eh?

the coolest part about this is the graphics and UI. it’s pretty well done, but it’s just a demo. otherwise, i have mixed feelings about this kind of stuff being posted on hackaday. without a how-to, bom, or even a flowchart of technologies, there’s nothing to “hack”. it just feels like a shot of inspiration, and that’s cool, but it feels like filler. and i’d rather not drive traffic to people who are in the business of patenting proprietary stuff.

does any one remember the movie “the sixth day” with Arnold Schwarzenegger? the one about cloning humans? At one point he gets up use the bathroom mirror, presses a corner of it and the news and weather pops up on the surface. Granted that was just good CG but still, I think it’d be a great thing to have, especially for an efficiency apartment.

Yeah mirror screens were also in almost every movie set in the future in the last what, 5-10 years. Still, I need to get one of these.

The ultimate would be if (when) a camera is used with a record of all of your clothes/makeup or even clothes that you don’t yet own, to show you what you could look like. That will probably take a couple years to run smoothly, but I’d buy it.

There’s no way he will be granted a patent on this. It’s the same DIY touchscreen setup that has been making the rounds for at least the last 3 years, and using 2-way mirrors with displays is already an established industry for high-end construction. The only thing he’s doing differently here is using an extremely bright projector to get a better image quality than can be achieved with an LCD screen.

Of course after I saw this video I went out and bought a 2 way mirror to use with my existing touch screen. :)

Patented indeed. I always wonder just who the clowns issuing patents are.

Functionality…well, the demo is nonsense. Those are good applications for a mirror. The only reasonable application would be to display customizable information that could be of use to the person readying for work in the morning, perhaps traffic or weather applets, maybe display their calendar. Health info…might be workable, if it’s simple enough like a medication schedule for the elderly (they take tons of prescriptions and have a difficult time remembering what pill when and how often).
The idea is to make it useful, not to paint flowers on it or play another idiotic, time wasting game on it, which by the way already has about a billion other interfaces better suited for a gamer.